HAMISH M Brown regrets the alienation of modern man from his ancient environment, in this case Caithness.

His reflections come from his collection, Achnashellach, an Alphabet of Poems about mountains and landscape, with a philosophical edge (a Loose Scree Publication, 2008). The delightful black and white illustrations include a curlew and magpie by Thomas Bewick.

PEACEFUL PLACES, CATHNESS

They knew rain on their faces

and the whipping Caithness wind.

Something of their loving, living, clings

to the honeyed moors. Their stones

mystify our cleverness for we

(who reach, proudly, to the stars)

cannot read the blessing of Grey Cairns

or The Hill o Mony Stanes.

Stemster Loch laps, laps (or laughs, laughs)

against the silly centuries.

The skies are the same -

whether gruel-grey or golden.

Now we come, the clever-blind,

who swopped wind and stars and stone

for micro chips. We call it progress

but we pause as strangers

in these peace-grown places.